England interim boss Lee Carsley got exactly the response he was after from his players as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Finland in League B Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League.
Three days on from their embarrassing 2-1 home loss to Greece, the Three Lions made Helsinki their playground as Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice struck before Arttu Hoskonen managed to wipe out Dean Henderson's late clean sheet.
After Thursday's humbling experience, Carsley ditched the striker-less experiment and reverted to type for the trek to Scandinavia, where fit-again captain Harry Kane was among six changes in the visitors' XI.
Two of those new faces - Angel Gomes and Grealish - joined forces for a merited opener in the first half, as England made their periods of possession dominance pay and looked far sharper and more sturdy than they did in midweek.
That being said, Finland were showing glimpses of what they were capable of in the final third when they managed to venture out of their own half, albeit without that final, killer touch when it mattered most.
Markku Kanerva's men comfortably kept a pedestrian England at arm's length at the start of the second half, but after Fredrik Jensen missed a magnificent chance to level the game, the visitors upped the intensity and got their reward when Alexander-Arnold crashed in a wonderful free kick.
The points were well and truly in the bag when Rice burst forward and showed Jensen how to finish from close range, although the ease of which Hoskonen scored a consolation header was a blot on Carsley's notebook.
A new page of English football history was also written on Sunday, as the Three Lions have now not lost any of their first 13 games against Finland, their most against a single opponent.
Now boasting nine points from a possible 12, England have temporarily gone level with group leaders Greece before their clash with the Republic of Ireland, while Finland remain dead last on zero points and are on a one-way street to League C.
FINLAND VS. ENGLAND HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Grealish goal vs. Finland (18th min, Finland 0-1 England)
Back in the team, back on the scoresheet for Jack Grealish ⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 13, 2024
That pass from Angel Gomes needs some love though 😍#ITVFootball | #FINENG pic.twitter.com/tY9LFzDz8L
Two players promoted to the England starting lineup for tonight's game combine for a deserved opening goal.
The Three Lions knock it about patiently on the edge of the Finland penalty area before Gomes plays a delicate through ball to Grealish, who beats a strange offside trap that Nikolai Alho tried to play.
Grealish has so much time to pick his spot, and the Manchester City winger calmly slots the ball into the bottom corner under Lukas Hradecky's outstretched hand.
Fredrik Jensen miss vs. England (56th min, Finland 0-1 England)
How has he missed?! 😳
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 13, 2024
Jensen cannot believe the ball hasn't hit the back of the net #ITVFootball | #FINENG pic.twitter.com/WfZBqv0NKb
A miss of the tournament contender from Finland's Fredrik Jensen, who is in the right place at the right time to meet Topi Keskinen's ball to the edge of the six-yard box, but he leans back and sends his effort sailing over the bar.
Trent Alexander-Arnold goal vs. Finland (74th min, Finland 0-2 England)
Trent Alexander-Arnold stop that! 😮
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 13, 2024
An OUTRAGEOUS free kick from a special talent! #ITVFootball | #FINENG pic.twitter.com/MLF3fElEsH
Take. A. Bow.
England win a free kick a good 25-30 yards from goal in Trent Alexander-Arnold territory, and the Liverpool man could not have placed his strike better, getting it up and over the wall and magnificently finding the top corner.
Hradecky may have got a fingertip to his effort, but there was nothing that the Bayer Leverkusen - or any goalkeeper in the world - could have done about that. Dead-ball perfection from Alexander-Arnold.
Declan Rice goal vs. Finland (84th min, Finland 0-3 England)
Rice makes it 3️⃣!
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 13, 2024
But this one is all about Ollie Watkins 👏👏👏#ITVFootball | #FINENG pic.twitter.com/SWrHwSsITb
Finland looked more than capable of levelling the game at the start of the second half, but England are now cruising towards their most emphatic win of the admittedly short-lived Carsley era so far.
Substitute Ollie Watkins burns Arttu Hoskonen for pace down the left and delivers a low ball into the box for Rice, who opens up his body and side-foots the ball into the far corner from close range.
Arttu Hoskonen goal vs. England (87th min, Finland 1-3 England)
England are caught napping! 💤
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 13, 2024
Hoskonen steals in at the front post to nod in for Finland #ITVFootball | #FINENG pic.twitter.com/8uGqqm4CBH
Role reversal from Rice's goal just now! Finland get a consolation as Hoskonen gets in front of Watkins far too easily and heads in at the near post from a corner. An unnecessary goal for England to concede.
MAN OF THE MATCH - JACK GREALISH
© IconSport
Alexander-Arnold may very well have won the goal of the match award, but in terms of overall influence on the game, there were few better than Grealish, who is loving life under Carsley and now has two goals to show from three appearances under the 50-year-old.
The Man City winger sent a loud selection message to Pep Guardiola with a really composed finish, as well as creating three chances and completing 97% of his passes, showing a bit of the Grealish of old.
FINLAND VS. ENGLAND MATCH STATS
Possession: Finland 31%-69% England
Shots: Finland 13-15 England
Shots on target: Finland 3-6 England
Corners: Finland 4-5 England
Fouls: Finland 7-7 England
BEST STATS
Jack Grealish for England:
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 13, 2024
First 36 games - 2 goals
Last three games - 2 goals#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ekcwlAMpaU
England have still never lost to Finland.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 13, 2024
Meeting each other 13 times, England have 11 wins and 2 draws 💥 pic.twitter.com/VS4H9nt9s3
WHAT NEXT?
England's first-place scrap with Greece looks set to go right down to the wire, and the Three Lions face the Pirate Ship in Athens (November 14) and the Republic of Ireland (November 17) next month, in what should be Carsley's final matches in charge.
Meanwhile, Finland - who can now only hope for a third-placed finish at best - travel to Ireland on November 14 before closing out an unsuccessful campaign at home to Greece three days later.
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